As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
In the world of desktop information handling systems, the name of the game has generally been to create desktop systems with more power and more performance. However, in the world of portable information handling systems the name of the game generally remains power management.
Many portable system devices or components are smaller, derivative versions of their desktop system counterparts. As such, design goals and priority conflicts between the two versions abound. An exquisite example where the power and performance design mentality of the desktop system conflicts with the power management mentality of the portable system is in the area of system communications and, in particular, networking.
First, many network distribution devices, e.g., servers, are typically designed to distribute information as quickly as possible. As a result, systems connected to the network may at any instant received data, whether or not requested. Consequently, the communications hardware of systems coupled to the network must typically be at the communication ready, particularly to receive unsolicited information. Therefore, communication hardware must generally always be powered and available to receive information.
Being developed first in the desktop environment, most communications hardware, e.g., Ethernet controllers, is designed to continually have power such that it may maintain a link with the network and receive requested and/or unsolicited information whenever transmitted. Also as a result of originating in the desktop environment where operating power is generally unlimited in supply, i.e., most desktop systems are powered by fixed A/C sources, such communication controllers typically proceed immediately to processing any received information. In the case of requested information, immediate processing is likely the preferred mentality. However, for unsolicited information, the need for immediate processing is seldom mandatory. The costs to the portable system of migrating communication hardware designed with desktop operating characteristics are significant in light of the portable system design's power management focus.
Portable system power management is in many respects effected by letting the portable system rest whenever possible. In resting the portable system, one or more of a plurality of system components may be reduced in operation so as not to consume battery power or to consume as little power as necessary without significantly compromising the user's experience. Hence, the power management directive of portable system design directly conflicts with the power and performance maximizing mentality of those desktop devices that have migrated to the portable environment. As a result, while many of the portable system's components are attempting to maximize battery life by resting whenever possible, their modified desktop counterparts often prevent or shorten such rest periods through their pursuit of immediate processing in accordance with their desktop design mentality.